Church of the Dormition in Jerusalem Vandalised

Israel police say an investigation is underway to find vandals who defaced one of Jerusalem’s best known churches.

Spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the vandalism was discovered on the Church of the Dormition in Jerusalem’s Old City early Friday. The church is built on the site where many Christians believe the Virgin Mary died.

Rosenfeld said that along with anti-Christian slurs, the words “price tag” were found scrawled on the church’s exterior. He said police are searching for the perpetrators.

That phrase is usually used by a fringe minority of Jewish extremists to protest what they perceive as the Israeli government’s pro-Palestinian policies and retaliation for Palestinian attacks.

Mosques, churches, dovish Israeli groups and even Israeli military bases have been vandalized with “price tag” damage in recent years.